e -Scooting – A Popular New Way to Get Around

Lime e-Scooter on a Portland Street

Three companies — Lime, Skip, and Bird — for several months offered the use of electric scooters (e-Scooters) under a Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) pilot program. The pilot ended in November with an evaluation to follow. Based on ridership numbers (hundreds of rides in the first few months), the program was wildly successful. Still, its success and future may hinge on the fact that people ride on sidewalks and without helmets (two giant no-no’s). How the scooter companies deal with these issues will determine if scooters return or go the way of the Dodo Bird.

“I took my first ride on a Lime yesterday,” said one customer. “It was fun and I felt safe riding more than a mile to my favorite coffee shop.”

Locals and tourists have been racing around the city as they get their first chance to try out Portland’s newest ride-sharing service. When we say racing, riders appear to be going fast, but scooters are capped at 15 mph, which is an average fast pace of a bicycle.

With the free App from each company, you can locate the nearest scooter, scan a barcode to activate the ride, then take off. The cost is $1 to activate and 0.15 cents per minute. The eScooter Apps even tell you how much charge is left and how far you’ll be able to go on the remaining charge.

Important Rules:

Stay off sidewalks and out of parks.

Wear a helmet (all three companies offer customers free helmets).

Don’t leave the scooter in the middle of a sidewalk or in the street.

For more information about this ride-sharing pilot project and rules, click here.

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